systems mindset – Hemang Shah | Innovation | Strategy

In the past two weeks, I had contrasting experiences with grocery shopping. A fruit vendor handpicked top quality fruits for me, which turned out to be substandard. Contrast this with another vendor who convinced me to buy the lower-priced of two variants of raisins, which have turned out to be awesome. It’s clear who will get my repeat business, but the more interesting aspect is what they really ended up losing. My complete trust.

I may still shop with them – everyone deserves second and third chances – but will be much more diligent. In there is a lesson for getting the green light for any project you’re pitching.

As our careers progress, we will find ourselves facing complex situations.

We may not know everything we’d like to. In hairy situations where run-time decisions need to be made, the best leader is one who holds the trust. The team believes in this person. As does the management.

Wait – is skill or talent undervalued compared to trust?

Yes, to an extent. There will always be a skill gap. However, a gap in how decisions are made is not acceptable. Think of how many times a sporting event has been won by an inferior team compared to the most talented one. Dig deep and you will find that the team that made better decisions won in the end.

Where does trust come in the picture?

The team executed on the decisions. When people are not convinced, it shows in their body language and ultimately their performance. When the process is not sound, getting the output is a coin toss.

If your leadership trusts you, getting extra budget is a possibility. Making a case for a change of plans gets you an audience that is willing to listen with an open mind. That is a huge factor. For innovation and strategy projects, that is the main factor. This is also one reason why some entrepreneurs keep getting funded – one strong reason is their investors believe in THE person.

How does one cultivate trust?

This is a test of character, which is proven when things get tough. Own up to blind spots, issues you should have caught earlier, or made a mess. People can sense intent miles away. However, this is a subjective factor. You will rarely be able to pinpoint a situation where the Trustometer swung the right way.

If I had to suggest one approach to practice, here’s what it would be:

A systems mindset helps. Take decisions that help everyone around you. See how your decision can affect all around you whether it’s customers, vendors, or the business.
Communicate how you are arriving at those decisions. A clear communicator finds it easier to get buy-in.
When things are not going to plan, refer to point 1 above 🙂

That’s it for today.

Happy Ideating!
Hemang.

Today I am sharing an example of how your innovations can be marketed by your business partners.

Last week, I moderated a case study on monetization of a technology for a professional society. A large company working on specialized printing of metals found an issue in the parts made. The lead cause, among others, was the flow of gases in the equipment used. They put together a team of engineers who analyzed the flow. After simulations, the team designed an add-on part that could fix the problem. And guess what?

The solution worked and more. They could not only print defect-free parts but could also operate at a much higher load.

One time the service technician from the equipment maker was in their facility. He saw the part, the results, and was beaming with wide smiles. He asked if he could discuss the potential of using it with other users. This is a huge sign!

When technicians volunteer for a product, pay close attention. They understand the ground issues better than most.

Fast forward, this company now has an established flow of customers who are lining up to use their part. They get a fair amount of leads from the equipment maker. Their customers are also getting them other leads. This is the best form of marketing one can aim for.

What can we learn for our innovation journeys?

The best innovators tend to be the ones that experience the problem themselves.

The defects were something that could not be tolerated. A fix was required. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

Complete solutions >> Hacks

Arguably, the defect could be addressed with a hack. Those are not built for scale and certainly not for industrial production. Their solution was a result of flow analysis, simulation, prototypes, and fine tuning. Hence, it worked for much greater loads and is now built to last.

When engineers are happy with something, listen to them

The technician really cared for the other users of his equipment. Else he would have to listen to their complaints. When he saw that there was great potential in the add-on part, he became a strong advocate at his company.

In this case study, there was a good insight for how a collaborative approach resulted in a win-win partnership for businesses. Adopters could get to market easily and the innovators got a favorable outcome.

There’s a case to be also made for marketing of innovations. Something in a lab cabinet needs to be put out there for others to use. Bringing awareness to that is the innovator’s responsibility.

It all starts with having an acute understanding of the problem at hand and determining who else is facing it. If you fix it well, your partners will become your advocates. It helps them too – win-win!

That’s it for today.

Happy ideating 😊

Hemang.